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The Book of Ephesians - Summary
The Book of Ephesians is in the Bible's New Testament. Paul wrote this letter to the church at Ephesus, which he had led for over two years (Acts 19:10).
When Paul wrote the Book of Ephesians, Paul was in prison. But the letter is not a sad letter. Paul was excited about God's good gifts (Ephesians 1:3). Paul was pleased that the Christians in Ephesus continued to serve God. Paul wanted to encourage them. And he told them about his prayers for them (Ephesians 1:15-22, Ephesians 3:14-21).
Paul reminded the Christians in Ephesus that previously they were enemies of God. But God sent Jesus to die for them. Because of Jesus' death, they became friends of God (Ephesians 2:11-22). So, they should live lives that please God (Ephesians 4:17-32, Ephesians 5). And, they should trust God more. God had appointed teachers to help the Christians. And the Christians would learn to be more like Jesus. Troubles would come, so they needed God's protection (Ephesians 6:10-18).
http://www.easyenglish.info/bible-outline/ephesians-summary.htm
| Listen | Download | Introduction |
| Listen | Download | Chapter 1 Greeting; God's Rich Blessings; Prayer for Spiritual Insight; God's Power in Christ. |
| Listen | Download | Chapter 2 From Death to Life; Unity in Christ. |
| Listen | Download | Chapter 3 Paul's Ministryh to the Gentiles; Prayer for the Spiritual Power. |
| Listen | Download | Chapter 4 Unity and Diversity in the Body of Christ; Living the New Life. |
| Listen | Download | Chapter 5 Light Versus Darkness; Consistency in the Christian Life; Wives and Husbands. |
| Listen | Download | Chapter 6 Children and Parents; Slaves and Masters; Christian Warefare; Paul's Farewell. |
Book of Ephesians Outlines by J.Vernon McGee PDF format <Link>
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About Ephesians
Most students of the Bible think that Paul wrote this letter from Rome, about the year *AD 62. That was more than 30 years after Jesus died. Paul was in prison at Rome. He wrote to the church (group of Christians) that was at Ephesus. Ephesus was a city in the south and west part of the country that we call Turkey now. But Paul may have sent this letter to other groups of Christians also.
In this letter, Paul explains the very great things that Jesus Christ has done on behalf of all people. Christ has taken away everything that caused people to be enemies to God and to each other. Now all people, both *Jews and *Gentiles, can be united in Christ. They can become God’s people. All Christians belong to one family, and Christ is the head (the leader) of that family.
So, we must always try to agree and we must continue to love each other. We must live as God wants us to live. We must learn how to be strong as Christians. And we must always be ready to fight against the *Devil when he attacks us in different ways.
Chapter 1
v1 This letter is from me, Paul. God chose me to be a special worker and teacher on behalf of Christ Jesus. I am writing to you, God’s people at Ephesus, who are continuing to believe and to obey Christ Jesus. v2 I pray that God, our Father, and the *Lord Jesus Christ will continue to be very kind to you. I pray that they will cause you to be without trouble inside yourselves.
God has given so very much to us in Christ
v3 We should thank the God and Father of our *Lord Jesus Christ very, very much! He has been so very good to us! He has given to us every good *spiritual thing in *heaven because we are united with Christ! v4 This is true because he chose us to belong to Christ. God chose us in Christ before he made the world. He chose us in Christ to be completely good. So now, God thinks that there is nothing wrong with us. God loved us. v5 So he had already decided to bring us to himself to be his sons by Jesus Christ. He decided to do this because it made him very happy. v6 We should thank him so very much because he is so great and kind to us. God has been so kind to us by his son, whom he loves so much. v7 Christ bought us, by his blood, to make us free. In Christ, God has *forgiven all the wrong things that we do. God has done these great things because he is so very kind to us.
v8 He has done so very much on our behalf because he knew everything about us. He understood what we really needed. v9 God has shown to us the secret things that he himself wanted to do. He has shown his own secret purpose that makes him very happy. v10 God will finish his purpose when the time is completely right. Then he will bring everything together, the things in *heaven, and the things on earth. God will bring everything together in Christ, with Christ as the head (the leader).
v11 In Christ also, God chose us to be his own people. God had already decided that this was his purpose. And he does all things as a result of what he himself has decided to do. v12 God wanted us to show how very great and good he is. We show this after we have first hoped certainly because of Christ. v13 And you also became united with Christ after you heard the true message. You heard the good news about how God saves you. Then, when you believed, God gave his Spirit to you. He gave his own Spirit, as he had promised to do. He gave his Spirit to you to show certainly that you belong to him. v14 God’s Spirit is the first part of what God will give to us. God has bought us to be his own people. God gives his Spirit to us until he makes us completely free. And then we will thank God. We will show how very great and good he is.
Christ is the head of his body
v15 People have told me about how you continue to believe the *Lord Jesus. They have told me that you love all God’s people. So, since I have heard these things about you, v16 I never stop thanking God because of you. And when I pray, I remember to pray on your behalf. v17 I pray to the very great and good Father, who is the God of our *Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that he will cause you to understand things by his Spirit. I ask God to show things to you by his Spirit, so that you can really know him. v18 I pray that God will open your minds. So then you will understand what he has chosen to give to you. You will know the good things that he has caused you to hope for certainly. You will know what very rich and great things he has prepared for his people. v19 And you will know how very, very powerful God is to us.
He is more powerful than anyone or anything else in us who believe him. God works in us by the same strong *power v20 as he did in Christ. He worked powerfully to raise Christ, so that he became alive again after his death. God worked powerfully so that he caused Christ to sit at his right side in *heaven. v21 There, Christ rules over every other ruler and over everything else that has any authority. Christ is much, much greater than any other *power or any other master. He rules over every name that any person or *spirit uses to have authority. Christ rules over them now, in this world. And he will rule over them in the world that will come. v22 God has put all things under Christ’s feet (authority). God has made Christ the leader, the head over all things to his people, the church, v23 which is Christ’s body. The church is full of Christ, who fills all things everywhere.
Chapter 2
God has made us alive with Christ
v1 Before, your *spirits were dead. You were doing wrong things and you were not obeying God. v2 You were doing the same kinds of wrong things as other people in this world do. You were like all the other people in the world who do not obey God. You were obeying the *spirit who rules the *spiritual *powers in the air. That *spirit is working now in everyone who refuses to obey God. v3 In past times, all of us were like those other people. We did whatever things our own bodies and minds caused us to want. God was angry with us, as he was angry with everyone else. And, as a result, he would have had to *punish us.
v4-5 But God is so very good and kind! Our *spirits were dead and we were doing wrong things. But still God loved us so very much that he made us alive with Christ. God has saved you only because he himself is so very kind. v6 Also, God raised us up with Christ and he caused us to sit with Christ in *heaven. God has done these things because he has joined us with Christ Jesus. v7 God did these things to show, for all future time, how very good he is to us. He wanted to show how very great and kind he is to us by Christ Jesus. v8 God has saved you only because he himself is so very kind. He has saved you because you believe him. You could not save yourselves, but it is God’s gift to you. v9 He has not saved you as a result of any good thing that you yourselves have done. So, nobody has any reason to say how good they themselves are! v10 It is God who has worked in us. He himself has made us what we are. He had already prepared good things for us to do. And he has joined us with Christ Jesus so that we can do those good things.
Christ has brought *Jews and *Gentiles together
v11 So, remember what you were before. You were born *Gentiles, whom the *Jews call ‘those people that nobody has circumcised’. But the *Jews call themselves ‘we whom somebody has circumcised’. They say that because of what men themselves do to their bodies. v12 Remember that, at that time, you were separate from Christ. You did not belong to Israel’s people. You did not belong to the people that God had chosen. You were strangers. God had made no agreements with you, by which he promised certain things to you. You were living in this world with nothing good to hope for. You were living without God. v13 You were far away from God. But now, because you are united with Christ Jesus, God has brought you near to himself by Christ’s blood.
Verse 11 To ‘circumcise’ means to cut the skin from the end of a boy’s or man’s sex part. God told Abraham to do this. (See Genesis 17:9-14.) They circumcised men and boys like this to show that Israel’s people belonged to God. It was like a picture, to show that they were separate from bad things.
Verse 12 An agreement is when two or more people, or God and people, agree about something.
v14 It is Christ himself who has stopped us from being enemies. He himself has brought the two separate groups of people, the *Jews and the *Gentiles, to be one group. In his own body, he has broken down the wall between them that made them separate. He has taken away the thing that made them enemies. v15 He has brought to an end the *Jews’ rules. Those rules told them what they ought to do. In this way, he stopped the two groups of people from being enemies. v16 By his death on the cross, Christ stopped the *Jews and the *Gentiles from being enemies to each other. In one body, he brought both groups of people back to God, to be God’s friends. v17 Christ came and he told people God’s message. He told them about how they could be friends with God and with each other. He told it to you *Gentiles, who were far away from God. He told it also to the *Jews, who were near to God. v18 By Christ, all of us, both *Jews and *Gentiles, can come to the Father by the same Spirit.
v19 So now, you *Gentiles are not strangers any more. You are not foreign any more. But now, instead, you belong with God’s people. You belong to God’s family. v20 You belong to the building that is God’s house. God’s special workers, and the people who spoke his messages, are like strong stones under this building. They are like strong stones that hold the building up. And Jesus Christ himself is like the most important stone in the building. v21 He holds the whole building together. And he makes it grow into a house that belongs only to the *Lord. v22 He himself is building you together also into a house where God lives by his Spirit.
Chapter 3
God has chosen Paul to help the *Gentiles
v1 I, Paul, am in prison because Christ Jesus has sent me to help you *Gentiles. v2 Certainly, you must have heard that God has chosen me to help you. He has chosen me to work on your behalf because he is so very kind. v3 God has caused me to know his secret because he has shown it to me. I have written a few words about this already. v4 When you read these words, you will be able to understand that I know the secret about Christ. v5 God never showed this secret to the people who lived before this time. But now God’s Spirit has shown it to the special workers and teachers that God has chosen. He has shown this secret also to the people who speak God’s messages. v6 This secret is that the *Gentiles, together with the *Jews, will receive good things from God. The *Gentiles can belong to the same body as the *Jews. By the good news, the *Gentiles can receive what God promised in Christ Jesus.
v7 I became a servant, to tell the good news, because God gave that special work to me. God himself worked powerfully in me because he is so kind. v8 I am the least important of all God’s people. But still, God has given this special work to me because he is so kind. He has sent me to tell the *Gentiles about the great things that are ours because of Christ. God gives such good things to us in Christ because Christ is so very rich. These things are more valuable than anyone could ever know.
v9 God sent me also to make clear to everyone how he would cause his secret thing to happen. God, who made all things, hid this secret during past times. v10 His purpose was to show now, at this time, how completely he understands everything. He wanted the *spiritual rulers, that have authority in the *heavens, to know this. They would know it by the church (God’s people). v11 This had always been God’s purpose. And he made it happen by Christ Jesus, our *Lord. v12 Because we are united with Christ, we are sure enough to come near to God. We do not need to be afraid, but instead we can be sure. We can come to God because Christ himself has caused us to believe. v13 I have troubles and pain on your behalf. But I ask you not to let yourselves become afraid or weak because of that. No, but instead be happy, because my troubles and pain will help you.
Paul prays for the Christians at Ephesus to be strong
v14 For this reason, then, I bend my knees to pray to the Father, v15 from whom every family gets its name. Every family, in *heaven and on earth, receives its true name from him. v16 I pray that he will work powerfully by his Spirit to make you strong inside yourselves. I ask him to do this because he is so very great and rich. v17 I pray that Christ will live inside you, because you believe him. I pray that your roots will go down deep into God’s love. So then you will be strong. v18 You will be strong to understand, with all God’s people, how very much God loves. You will be able to understand how wide and long and high and deep God’s love is. v19 You will know how very, very much Christ loves. He loves us more than anyone can ever really know. And then, because you know this, God will fill you completely with himself.
Verse 16 Roots are the parts of a plant that grow under the ground. They help to hold the plant up. Also, they supply water and other good things from the ground that help the plant to grow well.
v20 God is able to do so much more than we could ever ask. He is able to do so very much more than we could even think. He does such great things because he works so powerfully in us. v21 So certainly, the church (God’s people) should show always how very great and good God is. The church should show this, by Christ Jesus. They will never stop showing it.
Chapter 4
God’s people must continue to be united
v1 So I, who am in prison for the *Lord, ask you something strongly. God has chosen you to be his own people. So, I ask you to live as God’s own people should live. v2 Do not think that you are better or more important than other people. Always be kind and patient. Love each other, and do not become angry with each other quickly. v3 Do your best to let God’s Spirit keep you united as friends, without any trouble between you. v4 There is one body and there is one Spirit. God has chosen you to be his own people, and all of us wait certainly for the same good things. v5 There is one *Lord. There is one true message that we must believe. There is one baptism. v6 There is one God, who is the Father of all of us. He is over all. He works by all, and he is in all.
Verse 5 Christian baptism is when they put a believer into water (or sometimes they put water on a believer). Baptism by water is very important. It is like a picture of what God does in our *spirits. Baptism means ‘to put a person or a thing completely into something else (for example, into water)’. When God ‘baptises’ us into Christ, he ‘puts us into’ Christ. He makes us completely united with Christ in our *spirits.
v7 Christ has given special gifts to each one of us, as he has chosen. He has made each one of us able to do certain things well. v8 This is why it says in the *Old Testament:
‘When he went up to the highest place,
he led many prisoners with him.
And he gave gifts to men.’
[Psalm 68:18]
Verse 8 A prisoner is a person (or a *spirit) who is not free.
v9 It says: ‘He went up.’ So, it must mean that first Christ came down, to the lower parts of the earth. v10 So, the man who came down also went up. The same man went up, high above all the *heavens, so that he would be able to fill all things.
v11 It was Christ who gave some of his people the gift to be special workers and leaders on his behalf. He gave to some people the gift to speak messages from him. He gave to some people the gift to bring other people to himself. He gave to some people the gift to be pastors (leaders who help Christ’s people to follow him) and teachers. v12 He gave all these gifts to prepare God’s people, so that they could work together as his servants. So then, as a result, Christ’s body would grow and it would become stronger. v13 In this way, all of us will become completely united by what we believe. All of us will become united because we really know God’s Son. So, we will be like a man who has grown up properly and completely. We will be like a man who is as tall as Christ himself. We will be completely as God wants us to be.
v14 So then we will not be children any more. Clever people may try to make us believe things that are not true. They may teach different kinds of ideas, to confuse us. But we will not be like children, who are easy to confuse. We will not let those different ideas change what we believe. v15 Instead, we must speak the true message because we love people. And, as a result, we will grow up in all things into Christ, who is the head. v16 He holds the whole body together. He joins every part together to make the body strong. So then each separate part can work as it should work. And, as a result, the whole body grows and makes itself stronger by love.
Live a new life in Christ
v17 So, I say this to you. I am sure that the *Lord wants me to say it. You must not live any longer like the people who do not know God. They do whatever their own silly thoughts cause them to do. v18 They cannot understand because their minds are in the dark. They are strangers to the life that God gives. They do not know him because, deep inside themselves, they are hard. So, they refuse God. v19 They have stopped knowing the difference between what is right or wrong. They have given themselves to do all kinds of bad and dirty things. And they want very much to do those things more and more.
v20 But you have not learned anything like that from Christ! v21 And I am sure that you have heard about him. I am sure that people taught you the true message. They taught you the true message that is in Jesus. v22 So, you must put away the person that you were. That old person belongs to the way that you lived before. It wants to do things that are not really good. And those things are destroying it. v23 Let God’s Spirit make you think in a completely new way. v24 You must put on the new person, that God has made to be like him. That person only does what is right. That person is really and completely good, like God.
v25 So, you must stop saying things that are not true. Everyone must speak only true things to every other person. This is because all of us are parts of the same body. v26 Even if you are angry, you must not let that cause you to do anything wrong. Do not let yourself continue to be angry after sunset. v27 Do not give any room to the *Devil. v28 Any person who robbed people before must stop robbing. Instead, he should start to do honest work with his own hands. So then he will have something to give to anyone who needs anything.
v29 Be careful not to say anything that is bad. Say only good things that will help people. Then you will help to make them strong. You will help to give them what they need. And so, your words will be good for those who hear them. v30 Do not make God’s own, completely good Spirit sad. He is like a mark to show certainly that you belong to God. He shows that God will make you completely free, one day. v31 Do not become angry with people easily. Do not become so angry that you cannot be kind to them. Do not quarrel or fight. Do not shout at anyone or say bad things about them. Stop thinking bad things about anyone. v32 Instead, be kind to each other and try to understand each other. *Forgive each other, quite as God has *forgiven you. He has *forgiven you because you are united with Christ.
Chapter 5
Live as God’s children
v1 You are God’s children that he loves. So, you must try to be like him. v2 Continue always to love other people, as Christ loved you. He loved us so much that he gave himself on our behalf. He offered himself as a sacrifice to God. His sacrifice had a lovely smell that made God very happy.
Verse 2 A sacrifice is a gift to God. The person who gives the sacrifice must pay the cost of it.
v3 So, you must never have sex with someone who is not your own wife or husband. You should not even want to do anything like that. Neither should you want too much of anything for yourselves. God’s own people should never even want to think about anything that is bad or dirty. That is not how God’s people should live. v4 Nor should you talk about bad or dirty or silly things, as fools do. It is not right or proper for God’s people to talk like that. Instead, you should be thanking God. v5 Nobody who has sex with someone other than their own wife or husband can belong with God’s people. Nobody who does bad, dirty things can belong with God’s people. Nobody who wants too much of anything for themselves can belong with God’s people. That person is really worshipping something else more than they are worshipping God. None of these kinds of people will ever receive what God has prepared for his own people. These kinds of people cannot belong with those people who accept Christ and God as their king. You can be sure about this.
Verse 5 To worship means to love and thank someone (God) more than anyone else.
v6 Do not let anyone make you believe wrong ideas as a result of the false words that they speak. God will certainly be angry with people who do these bad things. He will *punish people who do not obey him. v7 So, do not meet with those kinds of people. v8 Once you were dark. But now that you are the *Lord’s, you are light. So, live as people who belong to the light. v9 The light causes people to be good. It causes people to do what is right. And it causes them to say what is true. v10 Try to learn what the *Lord thinks is right. v11 People who belong to the dark do wrong things. Never join in with wrong things like that. Those things have no good purpose. But instead, show how wrong those things really are. v12 People should be ashamed even to speak about the bad things that those people do secretly. v13 But when something comes out of the dark, God’s light shines on it. v14 Anything that God’s light shines on becomes light. That is why it says:
‘Wake up, you who sleep.
Get up from among the dead people,
and Christ will shine on you.’
Verse 14 We think that these words may come from an old Christian song.
v15 So, you must be very careful how you live. Live like people who understand what is right and good. Do not live like people who do not understand anything. v16 These are bad times, so use every moment well. v17 Do not be fools. But instead, understand what the *Lord wants. v18 Do not drink too much wine, because that will cause bad things. It will stop you ruling yourself properly. But instead, let God’s Spirit fill you. v19 Speak to each other with all kinds of *spiritual songs. Sing and make music to the *Lord from inside yourselves. v20 Thank God, the Father, always for everything, by our *Lord Jesus Christ’s name.
Verse 18 Wine is a drink that has alcohol in it. People make it from small, sweet fruits called grapes.
Wives and husbands
v21 Be servants to each other, because Christ is your master.
v22 Wives, obey your own husbands as you obey the *Lord. v23 Because a husband is the head of his wife, quite as Christ is the head of the church (his people). The church is Christ’s body and he saves her. v24 As the church puts Christ first, so wives should put their husbands first in everything.
v25 Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church (his people). Christ gave himself on behalf of the church, v26 so that he could make it completely good and clean. He washed it with water by his word. v27 So then he could bring it to himself as a beautiful church, without any bad or dirty mark on it. He could bring it to himself as a completely good church, with nothing wrong.
v28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives quite as they love their own bodies. A man who loves his wife loves himself. v29 No man ever hates his own body. No, instead he feeds it and he cares for it. He cares for it as Christ cares for the church (his people). v30 Christ cares for us because we are parts of his own body. v31 As the *Old Testament says: ‘For this reason, a man will leave his father and his mother and he will become united with his wife. Then those two people will become one body.’ [Genesis 2:24] v32 These words show us about important things that are difficult to understand. I am saying that they show us about Christ and the church. v33 But they are also important for you. Each one of you husbands should love your own wife as you love yourself. And each wife must be ready to obey her husband.
Verses 29-30 To hate means to strongly or completely not like something or someone. To hate is the opposite of when you love something or someone.
To care for something or someone means to be kind and to supply what it or they need.
Chapter 6
Children and parents
v1 Children, obey your parents. This is what the *Lord wants. It is the right thing to do. v2 The first rule that God gave with a promise says: ‘Always remember how important your father and your mother are. v3 Then, as a result, you will be happy and you will live for a long time on the earth.’ [Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16]
v4 Fathers, do not make your children angry. But instead, teach them as they grow up. Teach them about the right way in which the *Lord wants them to live their lives.
Slaves and masters
v5 Slaves, obey your human masters. Remember how important they are. And be afraid of them. Work well for them because you really want to make them happy. Work for them as if you were working for Christ. v6 Do not work well only when they can see you. Do not work well only to make people happy. But instead, always work well, as Christ’s slaves. Work because you really want to obey God. v7 Be happy to work as well as you can for your human masters. Work as if you were working for the *Lord, and not only for people. v8 Remember this: anyone who does any good thing will also receive something good from the *Lord as a result. This will happen whether that person is a slave or a free person.
v9 Masters, be good to your slaves in the same way. Do not say things that will frighten them. Do not say that you will *punish them for no good reason. Remember that both you and your slaves have the same Master in *heaven. And everyone is important to him. He is never kinder to one person than he is to another person.
God’s soldiers
v10 The last thing that I want to say to you is this. Be strong by the *Lord’s great *power, because you are united with him. v11 Put on the whole armour that God gives to us. So then you will continue to be strong against all the clever ways by which the *Devil attacks us. v12 You need to be strong because we are not fighting against human enemies. No, but instead we are fighting against the rulers and the powerful *spirits that have authority over this dark world. We are fighting against powerful bad *spirits who live in the *heavens. v13 So, take the whole armour that God gives. Then you will be able to stand against the enemy when he attacks. And he will not be able to move you from your place. Then, after you have done everything, you will still be standing strongly in your place.
Verses 11 and 13 Armour is special clothes that keep soldiers safe.
v14 So stand. Always remember and obey God’s true message. That will be like a belt round you. Always be right with God. That will be like a strong metal plate that you put over the front of your body. v15 Remember God’s good news that makes you friends with God and with each other. That will be like shoes on your feet, to make you ready to fight. v16 Always continue to believe God. That will be like a shield that you hold in front of you. It will put out all the burning arrows that the *Devil throws at you. v17 Remember that God has saved you. That will be like a strong metal hat on your head, to keep you safe. Also, remember what God has said. That will be like a strong knife that you can use, by God’s Spirit, to fight.
Verse 14 People used belts to hold their long clothes up so that they were ready to fight.
Verse 16 A shield is like a big, strong plate that a soldier holds in front of himself. The shield keeps him safe when an enemy is attacking him. Arrows are sharp sticks. Enemies send them to hurt people that they are fighting against.
v18 To do all of this, pray all the time as God’s Spirit leads you to pray. Pray about everything. Ask God for what you need. For this purpose, be careful to continue praying always for all God’s people. v19 Pray for me, too. Pray that God will give me the right words to speak. Pray that I will not be afraid to tell people about the secret of the good news. v20 God sent me to tell the good news to people. And that is why I am in prison. So, pray that I will not be afraid to speak. I want to speak the good news bravely, as I ought to speak it.
Paul finishes his letter
v21 Tychicus, a Christian friend that I love, will tell you all the news about me. He is the *Lord’s good servant, who continues to work well on the *Lord’s behalf. He will tell you what I am doing. So then you will know how I am. v22 This is the reason why I am sending him to you. I want him to tell you how we are. And I want him to help you so that you feel stronger and braver.
v23 I pray that God, the Father, and our *Lord Jesus Christ will be good to you believers. I pray that they will cause you to be without trouble inside yourselves. I pray that they will cause you to love God and other people, as you continue to believe. v24 I pray that God will be very kind to everyone who continues to love our *Lord Jesus Christ.
Word List
AD ~ AD 50 means the year that was 50 years after Jesus came, and so on.
angel ~ *spiritual being (a being is a person or animal that is alive). Good angels come from God’s home beyond the earth. They are God’s servants and they bring messages from God to people.
Devil ~ the bad *spirit who is God’s enemy.
forgive ~ when God (or another person) chooses to forget completely the wrong things that we do.
Gentile ~ a person who does not belong to Israel’s people.
heaven/heavens ~ the place beyond the earth where God lives; the *spiritual places; places beyond the earth where *spirits live.
Jew ~ a person who is born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children (Israel’s people).
Lord ~ master; another name for God. It means that he is greater than everyone else.
Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, that describes events before Jesus’ life on earth.
power ~ what someone is able to do or has authority to do.
punish ~ to hurt someone, or to cause trouble for them, because they have done wrong things.
spirit ~ a being (person) that is always alive, even without a body. A person’s spirit is the part of them that will always be alive. It will be alive even after their body is dead. Our spirit is the part of us that receives God’s Spirit. There are good spirits, like God’s Spirit and his *angels. And there are bad spirits, like the Devil (God’s enemy) and his *angels.
spiritual ~ about the *spirit.
Book List
A. Marshall ~ The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament
John Stott ~ The Message of Ephesians ~ IVP
Charles Hodge ~ The Classic New Testament Commentary, Ephesians ~ Marshall Pickering
Various Bible versions
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| Book 49 | Ephesians |
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| 001:001 | Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: |
| 001:002 | Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. |
| 001:003 | Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: |
| 001:004 | According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: |
| 001:005 | Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, |
| 001:006 | To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. |
| 001:007 | In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; |
| 001:008 | Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; |
| 001:009 | Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: |
| 001:010 | That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: |
| 001:011 | In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: |
| 001:012 | That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. |
| 001:013 | In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, |
| 001:014 | Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. |
| 001:015 | Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, |
| 001:016 | Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; |
| 001:017 | That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: |
| 001:018 | The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, |
| 001:019 | And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, |
| 001:020 | Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, |
| 001:021 | Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: |
| 001:022 | And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, |
| 001:023 | Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. |
| 002:001 | And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; |
| 002:002 | Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: |
| 002:003 | Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. |
| 002:004 | But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, |
| 002:005 | Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) |
| 002:006 | And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: |
| 002:007 | That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. |
| 002:008 | For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: |
| 002:009 | Not of works, lest any man should boast. |
| 002:010 | For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. |
| 002:011 | Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; |
| 002:012 | That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: |
| 002:013 | But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. |
| 002:014 | For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; |
| 002:015 | Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; |
| 002:016 | And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: |
| 002:017 | And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. |
| 002:018 | For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. |
| 002:019 | Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; |
| 002:020 | And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; |
| 002:021 | In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: |
| 002:022 | In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. |
| 003:001 | For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, |
| 003:002 | If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: |
| 003:003 | How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, |
| 003:004 | Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) |
| 003:005 | Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; |
| 003:006 | That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: |
| 003:007 | Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. |
| 003:008 | Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; |
| 003:009 | And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: |
| 003:010 | To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, |
| 003:011 | According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: |
| 003:012 | In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. |
| 003:013 | Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. |
| 003:014 | For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, |
| 003:015 | Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, |
| 003:016 | That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; |
| 003:017 | That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, |
| 003:018 | May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; |
| 003:019 | And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. |
| 003:020 | Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, |
| 003:021 | Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. |
| 004:001 | I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, |
| 004:002 | With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; |
| 004:003 | Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. |
| 004:004 | There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; |
| 004:005 | One Lord, one faith, one baptism, |
| 004:006 | One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. |
| 004:007 | But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. |
| 004:008 | Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. |
| 004:009 | (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? |
| 004:010 | He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) |
| 004:011 | And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; |
| 004:012 | For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: |
| 004:013 | Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: |
| 004:014 | That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; |
| 004:015 | But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: |
| 004:016 | From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. |
| 004:017 | This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, |
| 004:018 | Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: |
| 004:019 | Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. |
| 004:020 | But ye have not so learned Christ; |
| 004:021 | If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: |
| 004:022 | That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; |
| 004:023 | And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; |
| 004:024 | And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. |
| 004:025 | Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. |
| 004:026 | Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: |
| 004:027 | Neither give place to the devil. |
| 004:028 | Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. |
| 004:029 | Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. |
| 004:030 | And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. |
| 004:031 | Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: |
| 004:032 | And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. |
| 005:001 | Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; |
| 005:002 | And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. |
| 005:003 | But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; |
| 005:004 | Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. |
| 005:005 | For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. |
| 005:006 | Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. |
| 005:007 | Be not ye therefore partakers with them. |
| 005:008 | For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: |
| 005:009 | (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) |
| 005:010 | Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. |
| 005:011 | And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. |
| 005:012 | For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. |
| 005:013 | But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. |
| 005:014 | Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. |
| 005:015 | See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, |
| 005:016 | Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. |
| 005:017 | Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. |
| 005:018 | And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; |
| 005:019 | Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; |
| 005:020 | Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; |
| 005:021 | Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. |
| 005:022 | Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. |
| 005:023 | For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. |
| 005:024 | Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. |
| 005:025 | Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; |
| 005:026 | That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, |
| 005:027 | That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. |
| 005:028 | So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. |
| 005:029 | For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: |
| 005:030 | For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. |
| 005:031 | For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. |
| 005:032 | This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. |
| 005:033 | Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. |
| 006:001 | Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. |
| 006:002 | Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; |
| 006:003 | That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. |
| 006:004 | And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. |
| 006:005 | Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; |
| 006:006 | Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; |
| 006:007 | With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: |
| 006:008 | Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. |
| 006:009 | And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him. |
| 006:010 | Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. |
| 006:011 | Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. |
| 006:012 | For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. |
| 006:013 | Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. |
| 006:014 | Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; |
| 006:015 | And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; |
| 006:016 | Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. |
| 006:017 | And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: |
| 006:018 | Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; |
| 006:019 | And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, |
| 006:020 | For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. |
| 006:021 | But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things: |
| 006:022 | Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts. |
| 006:023 | Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. |
| 006:024 | Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. |
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